Circlet looping machine



Aug. 6, 1935. R. E. HAYNES ET AL CIRCLET LOOPING MACHINE Filed July 5 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet l ROBERT E. HAYNES FRANK KEENEE. Hal-1 L. HILL.

Aug. 6, 1935. R. E. HAYNES ET AL GIRCLET LOOPING MACHINE Filed July '5, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 3mm: EQBEZTE HAYNES FRANK KEENEIE HEEL. L. HILL.

avgy /g g itim 6, 1935- R. E. HAYNES ET AL 2,010,591

CIRCLET LOOPING MACHINE Filed July 5. 1934 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 /MBVQ EoBEe-r E Hey/v55 FER/w: KEE/vsa fiBEL L. HILL.

Aug. 6, 1935. R. E. HAYNES El AL I CIRCLET LQOPING MACHINE Filed July 5. 1934 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 M ME m 3 Aug. 6, 1935. R. E. HAYNES ET AL CIRCLET LOOPING MACHINE 6 Sheets sheet 5 Filed July 5, 1934 Emma tow. E0552? E. Haw/as Fen/w KEENEE. ABEL. L. HILL.

1935; R. E. HAYNES ET AL 2,010,591

CIRCLET LOOPING MACHINE Filed July 5, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 N RoeEerE H/mlss 0 FRANK KEENEZ.

ABEL L. HILL Patented Aug. 6, 1935 PATENT OFFICE CIRCLET LOOPENG MACHINE Robert E. Haynes, Frank Keener, and Abel'L.

Hill, Burlington, N. 0., assignors to Fabrics, Incorporated, Burlington, N. 0., @CUIIJOHIUOH oi North Carolina Application Jilly 5, 1934, Serial No. 733,884

Claims.

This invention relates to a'locping machine and especially to a machine adapted to loop waste material such as circlets, and to place it in condition so that it can be used in the manufacs ture of rugs, carpets and the like.

Heretofore, the looping of these circlets has been done by hand which is very slow, inefficient and expensive, in fact, at the present time looping by hand is prohibitive since the labor costs [4 are so high. It is, therefore, object of this invention to produce a machine which will loop this waste inaterialrnore rapidly than can be done by hand thereby making it possible to use this material which would otherwise be wasted. This invention is an improvement on the machine shown in the c *pending patent application of Robert Haynes, Serial Number 667,131, Patent Number 1,972,520 of September 4, 1934, which shows another mechanism for looping the oircle'ts.

It is another object of this invention to provide a looping machine with'an inclined spiraled conveyor having a reverse spiral on the lower end thereof whereby the lowermost circlet is looped through and over the adjacent circlet to form a 5 continuous strand.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a looping machine with means associated with the lower end of the spiraled groove which making a mor workable material in the succeeding operations. V

It is a further object this invention to provide a machine for utilizing the looper rounds out from hosiery during the knitting thereof. As it is well known, that as the toe is knitted onto the stocking, a portion of the stocking is cut-away which is usually about three-quarters of an inch in width. This (inlet or continuous strand of knitted material rolls up at its ed'gesto form an approximately round strand. This strand is resilient and tiiisresiliency is 'einployedto assist in thelooping operation in the machine hereinafter described.

In the manufacturing of hosiery and especially half-hose, these are usually made on two machines. The upper portion oi the stocking which is usually a ribbed top is made on a ribbing Illa-- chine, and then cut to length-and transferred to a plain circular knitting machine on which. the remainder of the leg, and the heel, toot and toe are knit, as well as sLd-Yi'cient fabric to enable the lower or operator to place the loops of the opened ends on the point of a looping machine to loop or close the toe. The stocking before the toe is knitted thereon is placed on a transfer ring about three-quarters of an inch from the end of the 5 knittingyand this portion of the stocking iscutaway and becomes waste. It is an object of this invention to provide a machine which will rapidly tie these endless circlets or bands together to form a continuous strand to be used in the weav oi rugs, carpets and other materials. If de sired, of course, inferior stockings could be cut into circlets, but at present this is not necessary, as the great quantity of locper rounds which are at present discarded as waste form a suiii'cient supply for making continuousstran'ds of these oirclets without the necessity of cutting inferior hosiery into the circlets. V r r 1 Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects-will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings; in which- Figure l is-a-side elevation of the invention;

Fi ure 2 is an elevation of the opposite sideof the left-hand portion of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a sectional plan view taken along the line 3-3 in Figure 2; 1

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-5 in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional View taken along the line Ti -5 in Figure 4';

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along the line e e in Figure 2;

Figure? is a sectional view taken along the line l-l in Figure 3 showing the clutch arrangement, and also showing the parts in a slightly difierent position from that shown in Figure 3;

Figure 8 is a view of the lower end. of the spiraled conveyor similar to the central portion of Figure4,-but showing 'cir'clets thereon;

Figure 9 is another View similar to Figure '8 butshowing'the parts rotated in {a slightly different position for shedding a circlet;

Figure 10 is a view showing the right-hand portion of Figures 8 and 9 after the parts have been rotated to shed a circlet;

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken along the line 'Il--H in Figure 3;

'Fi'gurel 2 is a sectional view taken along the line l2'l 2 in Figure 4;

Figure 13 is a sectional plan view taken along the line l3-l3 in Figure 1. 7

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral ID denotes a suitable bed plate, which has integral therewith downwardly projecting legs H, and mounted on plate it are supports l2 and it by any suitable means such as stud bolts l4 and i5 respectively. These supports project upwardly and support the upper end of a frame it, in which the conveyor is mounted. The lower end of frame it is supported by posts it and i8, which in turn, are secured to member H1 at their lower ends by any suitable means, such as stud bolts i9 and 25 respectively. Frame IE5 has projecting at right angles therefrom members 25, 25 and 2'3, in which are fixedly mounted shafts 28, 29 and 3t. Shaft 28 has rollers 32 and 53 rotatably confined thereon by collars 32a and 33a. Shaft St has similar rollers 34 and 35 rotatably confined there-- on by collars Ma and 35a, and shaft 29 has eccentric sleeves 38 and 39 adjustably mounted thereon, on which rollers 35 and 37 are rotatably confined by means of collars 35a and tie. These rollers 32 to tl inclusive serve as bearings for the spiraled circlet conveyor d'i which will be presently described. They also serve in conjunction with the enlarged portions of conveyor 6? as cutters for protruding strands on the circlets.

It is seen in Figures 1 and 2 that conveyor il has a spiraled groove therein, said spiraled groove being adapted to move a plurality of circlets downwardly as the conveyor rotates. It is further noted that the conveyor has enlarged spiraled portions Q5 and 55 which are adapted to be contacted by the rollers 52 to 3'? inclusive, but since the spiraled grooves are deep the strands of yarn are allowed to penetrate the groove and be conveyed downwardly without any interference with any of the bearing members, except any fringes on the circlets which are out therefrom byportions A 5 and-35 of the conveyor contacting the steel rollers 32 to 3'? inclusive.

The right-hand portion of conveyor 6'8, as shown in Figure 1, has secured thereto a member d8 having a plurality of pitched grooves 39 therein, and the upper end of member 18 is rotatably mounted in bearing 5%]. Fixedly secured to bearing 55 is a projection 5i upon which the circlets are placed upon the conveyor. Secured to the lower end of member 55 is a guide rod 52 which projects downwardly substantially parallel to member 4?, but diverges slightly from member 48, the purpose of which will be presently described.

The lower end of member 52 has integral therewith an upwardly projecting member 53 which has integral therewith another member 5% parallel to the conveyor il and the right-hand end of this'member, as shown in Figure l has at.- other upwardly projecting member 55 which is secured to the lower end of conveyor 4's by any suitable means such as stud bolt 56. This stud bolt 55 is threadably mounted in a member 5? which is rotatably mounted in a member 55 which is joined to the lower end of conveyor 4'5 by any suitable means such as having athreaded portion 59 threa'dably embedded in the lower end of conveyor ll. The member 58 is confined in position by means of a set screw 50 and member 5'! is adapted to remain stationary whileconveyor 47 and member 58 rotate. When it is desired to hold member :37 for purposes of assembling or disassembling, that is removing or installing stud bolt 56, it is noted that member 58 has .a hole Sta radially disposed therein and that member 5? has a depression 5 1a so that as member 51 is rotated and a suitable pointed instrument is inserted into hole Sta it will enter hole 51a in member 51, so that member 5? can be able sprocket chain 54.

locked against rotation while turning bolt 55. It is also to be noted that member 55 has a suitable hole therein penetrated by a pin 263a projecting from member Ziiib, so as to prevent rotation of member 253 which will be later described.

The circlets are placed over the member 5| and are pushed downwardly on top of rotating member 58. As the member 48 rotates the pitched grooves 49 tend to force the circlets downwardly onto the conveyor M. It will be noted that the rod 52 which is substantially parallel to conveyor ii and member t8 diverges causing the distance from the rod 52 to the conveyor "57 to be greater as the rod progresses downwardly. This is done in order that the circlets may be properly stretched when they reach the lower end of the conveyor il; It also assists the loops to spread apart from each other since the upper end of the loop will be disposed on top of either member 58 or conveyor ll, and the lower end of the loop will be disposed around the rod 52. This arrangement insures one circlet in each round of the spiral groove. A suitable block 52 is secured to the upper surface of rod 52, and has its upper end abutting against the lower side of conveyor ll. This merely acts as a support in order to prevent the rod 52 from bending under the tension of the circlets as they progress downwardly on the conveyor 37.

In order to assist the conveyor ll in carrying the circlets downwardly, a suitable conveyor is provided. It is also to be noted that this con veyor is disposed at the point where the rod 52 is diverging at an angle from the conveyor 47. Were it not for this conveyor there would be a tendency for the circlets to hang upon the rod 52 at this point, but by means of this conveyor the lower end of the circlets are carried downwardly upon rod 52 and thereby stretched to a proper position.

This conveyor comprises a plurality of angularly disposed lugs 52 pivoted as at '53 to a suit- Sprocket chain it is mounted on sprockets 68 and Bi which, in turn, are fixedly mounted upon shafts 53 and 69 respectively. These shafts 58 and 59 are mounted in suitable bearings in a bracket id, which bracket has its lower end mounted on the bed plate it by any suitable means such as bolts ll. It will be noted by referring to Figure 13, that the outstanding leg of each angle member 62 engages the lower end of the circlets 24 substantially at the top of rod 52 and forces them to the left toward the lower end of the conveyor ii. The other leg of the member 5'2 engages a projection l which is integral with the upper side of the bracket "it, and holds the angle member in the position shown on the side nearest the observer in Figure 13.

As the member 2 moves downwardly or to the left as shown in Figure 13, and around the sprocket 55 another projection it? is engaged by the outstanding leg of the member 62. This causes the angle member 52 to assume the position as shown on the far side of Figure 13, and will occupy less space. It is further seen that when the angle member reaches the sprocket 5? that the righthand end of projection i5 is again contacted and the angle member is caused to assume a position suitable for contacting the lower side of the circlets.

Shaft 68 has fixedly secured on the lower end thereof a suitable gear 8% which engages a worm 8!, said worm being fixedly secured on shaft 82.

Theleft-hand end of shaft 82, as seen in Figamass:

referring to Figures It will be m that brush 1 2s ure 2 is rotatably mounted in'a bearing 88, said bearing 83 projecting upwardly and-being integral with thelower side of bracket I0. The righthand end is also mounted-for rotation in a bearing 85 which is secured to bed plate I5 by any suitable means such as stud bolts 86. A beveled gear-51 is fixedly secured on the lower end of shaft 82 which is adapted to engage another beveled gear 88, which is fixedly secured onthe main drive shaft 89. Another gear 95 (see Figures 3 and '7) is fixedly securedon collar I92 by any suitable means such as screw 9911: which in turn is secured to main drive shaft 89, said gear being adapted to mesh with a smaller gear 2! fixedly mounted upon shaft 92.

Onthe end of shaft .92 a pulley 83 is fixedly mounted, which pulley is driven by a belt 94, which a is also mounted on amotor pulley 95 of motor 56. This motor may be disposed at any convenient location, but inthe present instance it is shown as being supported bya bracket 9! secured to the lower side of the bed plate I 5.

The main .drive shaft 83 is rotatably mounted in bearings HI and H2 which, in turn, are secured to theupper surface of bed plate Iii by any suitable means such as stud bolts H3 and IM respectively. Likewise shaft 92 is rotatably mounted in bearings II5and H6 which are secured to bed plate In by any suitable means such as stud bolts II I and II 8 respectively.

Since the motor pulley is adapted to rotate in a clock-wise manner in Figure 1, the pulley 93 will be rotated in a like manner thereby rotating the shaft 92 and the pinion 95 (see Figure 3). This rotation will produce a clock-wise movement of shaft 89 as seen in Figure 4, which will cause the upper side of shaft 32 and pinion B1 to rotate toward the observer in Figures 2 and 3. It is evident that this movement of the shaft 82 will cause the sprockets 66 and 61 and also the chain to rotate in a clock-wise manner as viewed inFigure 13.

Another beveled gear IGI is fixedly secured to main drive shaft 89, which is adapted to mesh .with beveled gear I52, said beveled gear I62 being fixedly mounted on shaft I 53. This shaft has one end rotatably mounted in a suitable bearing I54 which is secured to the upper portion of bed plate Ill by any suitable means such as stud bolts I55. A suitable collar I05 is fixed on shaft I53 immediately to the left of bearing I05 (see Figure 3) to limit the downward movement of the shaft and its associated parts. The left-hand end of shaft I53 is rotatably mounted in member 21 anddisposed immediately to the rightof member 21 on this shaft (Figures 2 and 3) is a cylindrical member I08 having spirally disposed gear ber I23 is secured to member 25 by any suitable means such as a screw I24, andrthis guide member serves the same purpose, namely to keep the circlets in their proper'path of travel, .so. that they will not hang or interfere with the other parts of the apparatus. a

A brush I25 is rotatably mounted in the upper end of a support I26, said support I26 being secured to the upper side of member 49. .By

contacts tne'circlets of yarn It onone side, and the guide I13 contacts the yarn on the other side, as it is conveyed down the spiralled shaft. This brush cont'acts the 'cirolets and prevents them from overlapping each other on rod 52.. As the circlets are conveyed downwardly the brush tends to press them apart in their proper position, so that they will be looped atthe lower end'of the conveyor in a, proper manner.

Another guide I2! is pivoted as at I28 to the upper portion of bracket I 2!, said bracket I29 being secured to member I0 by any suitable means, such as stud bolts I50. A bracket I3I (see Figure 5) is secured to bed plate In by any suitable means such as stud bolts I32, the upper end "of this bracket having rotatably mounted therein a stud I33, in which is fixedly mounted an L- shaped member 134. The L-shaped member I34 projects downwardly and to the left in Figure 5."

Member I 34 serves as a guide for the circlets and also assumes the positions as shown in. Figures 8, 9 and 10 when the circlets are being looped. Member I 34 while in the position shown in Figure 8 prevents shedding of ci-rclet 14b and also causes 74b to follow reversed groove 41?). When it assumes the position shown in Figure 9 it allows shedding of circlet 14b.

Fixedly secured on stud I8! is also an arm I35, which projects downwardly (Figures 2 and 5)., and has pivotally secured as at I35 an upwardly projecting link I31 said link 13! beingpi'voted as at I38 to anotherylink 159. This link 438 is pivoted as at I40 to roll stand I4I, which is mounted onb'ed plate I1. It "will be noted by referring toFigure -1 that link I35 is adapted to bev contacted by a cam 15I mounted on shaft I58.

This link is "held in contact with the cam at all times by means of a suitable spring 152, which has its lbwer en'd connected to link I39 and its upper end Iconnectedto a'rm 153, said arm'being integral with the upper "end of support 18. This cam I 5| and the associated parts are adapted to co-operate with the action -'of the L-shaped member I35 and its function in connection with this apparatus willbe later described.

Another support I56 is secured to the upper portion of member I0 and is similar to'support MI. In the upper 'end of support I55 is adapted to be rotatably mounted, the other end of shaft I50, and fixedly secured on this shaft and disposed between the supports 1M and I 55 is a suitable roller I51 having a covering I58 thereon. Another shaft I59 is rotatably mounted in the upper end of supports III and I55 and fixedly mounted on this shaft' I59 is another roller I50 which has a covering |6I secured thereon. Hingedly secured as at I62 to the upper 'end of support I56 is a bracket 153, said bracket I63 being adapted to have rotatably mounted therein shafts I 64 and IE5. The other 'endbf shaft I64 is rotatably mounted in bearing I66, and upon this shaft is mounted a roller I61 having a cover I68 thereon. This roller 161 is disposed directly above the roller I51 and is adapted to draw out the looped circlets and supply thenecessary tension at the proper time.

Likewise, the other end of shaft I65 is rotatably mounted in bearing I65, and mounted onthis shaft intermediate the bearings I68 and "I66 is a corrugated roller I10. Roller H0 is disposed directly above roller I50 and also serves as a.

tension'means for the looped circlets of yarn. It

is seen that shaft I64 has *a sprocket III fixedly mounted thereon (Figure 2*) which is adapted to mesh with another sprocket I12, said sprocket I I2 being fixedly mounted on shaft I59. A smaller sprocket I13 is also fixedly mounted on shaft 58 and upon this sprocketis mounted a suitable chain belt I'M which extends to the right, and is also mounted upon sprocket I75, said sprocket I15 being fixedly secured on'shaft i59. A suitable idler sprocket H6 is secured on stud ITI, said stud I'll being secured to support I56, and this idler is adapted to take up the slack in the chain belt W4. A pinion H9 is fixedly secured on shaft I59 which is adapted to mesh with pinion I89 fixedly mounted on shaft I65.

The other end of shaft I59 (Figure 1) has a sprocket I thereon, upon which is mounted a chain belt I86. This chain I86 is mounted at the lower end upon sprocket I87, said sprocket is? being loosely mounted on main drive shaft 99. When the main drive shaft 89 rotates in a counter clock-wise manner as shown in Figure 1, it is evident that the shaft 559 and its associated parts will also rotate in the same direction since this shaft I5il has the gear Il'9on the other end there of meshing with gear E89, the shaft I65, the shaft I to rotate ina counter clock-wise direction in Figure 2. The rotation. of the shaft I5 will also be transmitted toshaft I59 through the medium of chain belt I75, and sprocket I13; therefore, pinion II2wi1l cause the pinion Ill, and the shaft IE4 to rotate.

When the high side of cam I5! engages the link I39 (see Figure l) the. parts E39, I35 and I34 assume the positions shown in Figures 1, 5, and 8, whereas, when the low side of the cam I5I engages the linkI39 the spring I 52will pull the link I39 and its associated parts upwardly to cause member I34 to assume the position-shown in Fig.- ure 9. When a circlet is shedding from the spiraled conveyor ll-{and the parts are assuming a position shown in Figure 9, it is thus seen that the rollers I51, I69, I61 and I79 must rotate a slightamount in order thatthe proper tension shall be applied to the looped strand after the rollers have advanced'the looped strands a sufficient amount it is then necessary for them to stop with the proper? tension on the yarn if another circlet has not advanced to the proper position on the spiraled shaft to. be looped onto the end of the strand, otherwise the continued rotation would break the strand since a circlet willnot shed until another'circletphas been looped thereto. The means for starting and stopping these rollers at the proper time will be presentl described.

By referring to Figure '7 it'will be seen that the hub iBla ofv sprocket. I8? has a cavity I99 out therein. A plunger I9] is slidably mounted in I the hub portion i 92, and has a spring I9 5 ,disposed on the'right-hand end thereof which is confined on the plunger by means of the hub portion I92.v This spring normally forces the plunger I9I to the left and causes the left-hand end to enter the cavity 9%, unless it is otherwise obstructed. In the position shown in Figure '7 the gear 99 will rotate, since it is fixedly secured to hub I92 which, in turn is secured to shaft 89, but the sprocket l8? will not rotate because it is loosely mounted on this shaft. When the lefthandend of plunger I9! is allowed to enter the cavity I99 the sprocket I87 and the gear wheel 99 areconnected and will turn together which will cause the rollers I57, It'll; 69, and Ill] to rotate. Iv I It is evident that it is necessary for the plunger I9I to engage the hub I8l'a of the sprocket l8! continuously when the circlets are properly positioned on conveyor ll but when there is a missing circlet the plunger I9I must disengage hub H311; to stop rotation of the rollers I5'i, I69, 567, and H9. Therefore, means must be provided for engaging and disengaging the plunger I93 at the desired time. Hub 992 has a suitable cam I89 fixedly mounted thereon, which is adapted to be contacted by cam lever I9 3. Cam lever I9 1 has a projection 99 integral therewith, which causes the left-hand end of lever I9 5 (Figure l) to raise or lower as the cam I93 rotates with shaft 89. It should be further noted that the plunger I9I is disposed at a point on the low side of the cam 93, and unless otherwise prevented the projection I95 will allow the pointed end 596 of cam lever I9 1 to fall downwardly, and cause this pointed end to engage the shoulder 598 of plunger Ni and cause it to. move to the right in Figure 7, thereby moving the left-hand end of the plunger I9I out of the cavity 599. If there are no circlets near the lower end of the conveyor ll, with the machine threaded and the looped strands in the position shown in Figures 4 and 8, it is evident that if the plunger Isl were allowed to engage the hub fillet of sprocket it? the rollers I5l', I69, I61 and I79 would turn and the strand would be broken because the strand cannot shed off the end of conveyor ti until another circlet M is looped thereto. Since the left-hand portion I96 of cam lever I94 is allowed to drop downwardly and to engage the shoulder I98 of plunger I9I, to causethe plunger to move to the right, it is evident that the sprocket I8? and its associated parts will not rotate. However, in normal operation when the circlets are being fed consecutively to the end of conveyor il it is not desired that the point tee of cam lever I94 engage the shoulder IE9, because a loop is formed at every revolution of the drive shaft 89 or spiraled conveyor ll.

The rollers should rotate continuously in order to take up the slack in the strand and to produce the proper tension.

Therefore, means must be provided for holding this point 696 out of engagement with the shoulder I99 when the apparatus is operating under normal conditions.

It is seen that the member 5 has a slot 299 therein, which is adapted to be penetrated by feeler 293 when there are no circlets being fed over the lower end of the conveyor il. It is evident by referring to Figure 5 that when a circlet is being carried down the conveyor that a portion of the circlet will be disposed between the feeler EM and the slot see for a short time and will not allow the feeler 29I to move into the slot.

Feeler 29I has a downwardly projecting arm 202 which is secured to block 293 by any suitable means such as nuts 294 disposed on each side of the block. Block 2 33 is fixedly secured to the shaft 295, said shaft 295 having one end mounted for oscillation in bracket Q29, and the other end being mounted for oscillation in a bracket 296. Bracket 29% is secured to the upper portion of bed plate 59 by any suitable means such as stud bolts 297. Cam lever I94 is pivoted as at 298 to the upper portion of bracket 29%. A suitable spring 599 has its upper end secured to lever I94 as at i99a and its lower end secured to bed plate I9. This spring pulls the free end of lever I94 downwardly at all times.

Secured as at 299 to cam lever I94 is a bracket 2m (Figure 12). This bracket has a fork 2H in the lower end thereof, which is adapted to loosely hold the end of arm 2 I2, said arm 2I2 being fixedly mounted on oscillating shaft 205. It is evident when the feeler ZElI (see Figure engages'a circlet kl that the shaft 265 will not be allowed to oscillate enoughto move the lever 2 I2 downwardly, and allow the bracket ZIB and the cam lever I94 to be inoveddownwardly. When a circlet is not present the feeler EGI will move inwardly the oscillating shaft 265 will be allowed to rotate in a counter clock-Wise direction, (Figures 5 and 12), thereby, moving the bracket 2!! and the cam lever 194 downwardly. This will allow the point I95 to engage the shoulder I58 of plunger is I, thus preventing the left-hand portion of the plunger from entering the cavity 191i conveyed to the end of the conveyor through the spiraled groove 41a, and that the preceding circlet 142) has already been looped and is disposed in the reverse groove 412). In Figure 9 the end of the conveyor 41 is shown rotated slightly from the position shown in Figure 8 and atthis time the circlet 14w which is disposed in the groove 412) has been moved upwardly and is now engaging the shed plate 2l3, said plate 2I3 being secured tothe'end-of the con;- veyor shaitby means of thestud bolt 56. This plate stops the rotative movement of the loop Ma and allows the circlet 14b which is disposed in the reversed groove 47b to shed and assume a position as shown in Figure 10. Itjwill benoted, especially in Figure 3, that reversed groove Alb atits beginning is not reversed but as it advances becomes a reversed groove. Member I08 has a projection Mills secured thereto to close the reversed portion of groove b -and to cause circlet Ma to enter the unpitched or beginning portion of reversed groove 41b and prevents circlet 14a from entering the rearward pitched portion of groove All) which has circlet, Mb therein. It is noted that circlet 14b has the one coming circlet Ma fed around it and as the upper portion of Mb is fed over the upper end of circlet 14a, this makes the loop.

In theposition of the circlet 14b in Figure 9 the'low side of the cam I5I is contacting the link I 39, which allows thespring I52 to pull the L- shaped member I34 to the position shown in Figure 9. Since the plunger I9I is engaging (Figure 7) the cavity I90 disposed inthe-face of hub l8'la of sprocket I81 thesprocket is rotating, thereby causing the rollers I51, I69, I 6] and m to move the looped circlet and causethe proper amount of tension to be applied thereto. When there is no circlet opposite feeler 20! (Figure 5), point I 96 of cam lever I94 engages the shoulder I98 and. disengages the sprocket I81 from gear 90.

It should be noted that a suitable extension 52a is provided on the end of rod 52 to hold the lower a ployed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation,

the scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Means for looping circlets together to form a strand comprising a spiral conveyor for conveying a plurality of circlets in parallel relation to each other, means for holding the circlets in taut condition onthe conveyor; means for feeding one end of a circlet through-the next circlet and over the end of the next circlet and means for applying tension to the first circlet to move it off the :conveyor and to secureit in position on r the second circlet. 7

2. Means for looping endless pieces of fabric together comprising a spiraled conveyor, means for feeding the pieces to the conveyor, means for applying tension to the pieces while they are on the conveyor, means for'directing the last piece on the conveyor through and over one end of the next piece to loop the same together.

3. Means for tying circlets together comprising a" rotatable shaft having a spiraled groove throughout its length, and having a reversely pitched groove at its discharge end, means for supplying circlets to'the rotatable shaft, means for guiding the last circlet on the shaft to cause itto traverse said reversely pitched groove and extend through and over one end of thenext circlet on the shaft, and means for guarding the next circlet While the first circlet is shed from the shaft over the shielded portion of the next circlet. a

4. A machine for tying circlets together comprising a spiraled conveyor for feeding a plurality of circlets continuously through the machine parallel to each other, a rod disposed in parallel relation to the spiraled conveyor for Y 5; A machine for tying looper roundscut from hosiery during the manufacture thereof, comprising a spiraled conveyor and a spaced parallel rod-for positioning a plurality of the rounds parallel to eachother and moving the same laterally, means for moving one end of the first looper round through the adjacent oncoming looper round and over the end of the oncoming looper round, and means for applying tension to the first looper round to remove it from the positioning and moving means and to cause it to be looped around and through the other end of the adiacent looper round. l

6. A circlet tyingmachine comprising means for arranging the circlets in parallel spaced relation and feeding them continuously in one direction and means for reversing the direction of travel of one end of the last circlet to pass it through and over one end of the next circlet to loop the two circlets together.

7 A machine for tying circlets together comprising means -for feeding a plurality of parallel circlets through the machine and means for reversing the direction of travellof the last circlet to cause one end thereof to be fed through and over one end of the next circlet.

8. A machine for tying circlets together comprising a shaft having a spiral groove throughout its length, means contacting the periphery of the shaft intermediate its ends for supporting the same for rotation, said shaft having a reversely pitched groove on its discharge end traversing the said spiral groove, means for feeding circlets onto the shaft, means for positioning a circlet in each round of the spiral groove, a spirally disposed gear on said shaft, a driving member having a spirally disposed gear thereon meshing with the first-named spirally disposed gear for imparting-rotation to the shaft and allowing the oncoming circlets to pass the spirally disposed gears in the groove therebetween, means for guid- Cal ing the last circlet on the shaft through and over one end of the next circlet, means for ap-' plying tension to the last circlet to remove it from the shaft, and means for. engaging the cir clets on the shaft one at time to control the tension applying means. J 9.11s machine for tying circlets together comprising means for feeding a plurality of parallel circlets through the machine, means for reversing the direction of travel of one end of the last circlet to cause said one end thereof to be fed through and over one end of the next oncoming circlet, and means for guarding the end of the next circlet while the first circlet passes thereover.

10. A machine for tying circlets together comprising meansrfor feeding a plurality of parallel circlets through the machine, means for reversing the direction of travel of one end of the last circlet to cause said one end thereof to be fed through and over-one end of the next oncoming'circl-et, means for intermittently engaging the next circlet and means controlled by saidengaging means for removing the last circlet from the feeding means.

11. A machine for tying circlets together comprising means for feeding a plurality of parallel circlets through the machine, means for reversing the direction of travel of one end of the last circlet on the feeding means to cause said one end to be fed through and over one end of the next circlet, a feeler for engaging the next circlet onthe feeding means, means for withdrawing the last circlet from the feeding means 2: after it has been looped over the next circlet,

and means controlled by said feeler for rendering inoperative the withdrawing means in the absence of a next circlet.

12. A circlet tying machine comprising a shaft having a spiral groove throughout its length, a plurality of rollers engaging theouter portions of the shaft for supporting the same for rotation and to permit circlets to pass along the groove out of contact with the rollers, a spiral gear on one round of said shaft, a driving wheel having a spiral gear thereon engaging the firstnamed spiral gear for driving the shaft and at the same time allowing the circlets to follow the spiral groove as the shaft is rotated, means spaced from the shaft for applying tension to the circlets and preventing their rotation with the shaft to thus advance the circlets along the shaft, means forcausing a circlet to be disposed in each round of the groove on said shaft, a reversely pitched groove on the discharge end of the shaft for the next oncoming circlets throughout its length and having a reversely pitched spiral groove'on its discharge end traversing the first groove, means for supplying circlets to each round of the said first spiral groove, a fixed member disposed in spaced relation to said shaft and loosely secured to each end of the shaft to impart tautness to the circlets as they are moved along the shaft, means for guiding the last circlet on the shaft into said reversely pitched spiral groove to cause it to pass through the next oncoming circlet and over the end of the same, means for removing the last circlet from the shaft, and means for shielding the next circlet which is entering the reversely pitched groove while the last circlet is shedded from the shaft.

14. A circlet tying machine comprising a threaded shaft whose threads for at least a portion of the shaft are deeper than the cross-sectional width of the circlets, a plurality of means disposed intermediate the ends of the shaft and engaging the peripheries of the threads for supporting the shaft for rotation, means for imparting rotation to the shaft, said shaft also having on its discharge end a reversely pitched thread traversing the first thread, means for feeding circlets onto said shaft to be moved therealong by rotation of the shaft, means for placing a circlet in each round of the thread, means for guiding one end of the last circlet through the next oncoming circlet and over the end of said next circlet to discharge the last circlet from the shaft in looped relation to the next circlet, said operation being repeated at each revolution of the shaft. 15. A machine for looping circlets together to form a strand comprising a spiraled conveyor for disposing a plurality of circlets in parallel relation and feeding them continuously through the machine, means for reversing the direction of travel of the last circlet on the discharge end of the conveyor to cause it to pass through the next circlet and overone end of the next circlet, means for guarding the next circlet while the first circlet passes thereover, and means for applying tension to the last lirclet to remove it from the feeding means and pull it over the next circlet and form a looped knot at the other end of said next circlet, the said next circlet, then becoming the last circlet for repeating the above described operation on another oncoming circlet.

ROBERT E. HAYNES.

FRANK KEENER.

ABEL L. HILL. 

